Day: December 30, 2024

What is Natural For a Thoroughbred?

Horse racing is a popular spectator sport and is practised throughout the world. It is also a sport with a long and rich history, having been practiced since ancient times in various cultures and civilizations.

Despite its widespread popularity, there are concerns about the welfare of thoroughbred racehorses. The main issues that have been highlighted include the injuries and deaths of racehorses on the track, the use of drugs and medications and retirement policies. However, these concerns are just the tip of the iceberg. The conceptualisation of what is natural for a thoroughbred – and therefore the implications of this concept in relation to racing practices that could impact on the animal’s well-being – have not been given sufficient consideration in the current discussion about thoroughbred racing.

This study aims to explore how key industry and animal advocacy informants conceptualise the idea of naturalness in relation to common racing practices that potentially impact on horses’ welfare. Semi-structured interviews and photo-elicitation were used to collect the informants’ responses. The findings suggest that both groups of the interviewees tended to naturalise and normalise aspects of the horse racing industry and downplay the impact of these on horses’ welfare. However, the animal advocacy informants’ responses exhibited a more holistic idea of what is natural, with the concept extending beyond the merely physical to encompass a broad range of other aspects of the thoroughbreds’ lives.

The Palio di Siena is a horse race held twice each year on July 2 and August 16 in the city of Siena, Italy. The participants in the race represent one of the seventeen Contrade (city wards). The race is preceded by an elaborate pageant. The word “palio” derives from the Latin for a procession, referring to the event’s role as an expression of city pride and loyalty.

In races where horses carry different weights, a certain number of kilos must be carried by each horse to ensure that competing horses have an equal chance of winning. This is known as the handicap system. A horse’s weight is determined by its age, sex, trainer and training regime, as well as its ability level. A horse will typically run in maiden races and allowance races before moving on to conditioned claiming races or, more commonly, optional claiming races.

The latter are open to horses that have been claimed at a lower price and allow them to compete at the higher-level allowance races without having to carry a maximum amount of weight. These races create a risk-reward situation for trainers as it allows their horses to earn money from winning these races but they also run the risk of losing their horses to a rival owner. This essentially establishes a checks and balances system that would otherwise not exist without the handicapping system. Ultimately, these races are a way for trainers to gain more race experience and to prepare their horses for a second career in either racing or stud.